Simple to CATI-like Questionnaires

• Sensus, the questionnaire-authoring component of WinCati, is both straightforward and powerful. It lets you create simple questionnaires easily and yet it is flexible enough for even the most complex of surveys.
• Sensus can handle all common question types, such as single response, multiple response, numeric, open-end, and constant sum. Branching can be as complex as you like; you can skip based on previous responses, combinations of responses, and even arithmetical computations. Sensus lets you restore responses to questions in later questions, so you can customize interviews to enhance respondent interest.
• With Sensus, you have complete control over screen formatting for your questionnaire: You can place question and response text anywhere on the screen and use color and type fonts to guide interviewers.

Advanced Capabilities - Sensus has special features and efficiencies designed for researchers with advanced needs.

• Its powerful list-handling capabilities let you ask questions repetitively with minimal setup.
• You can construct customized lists for each respondent based on previous answers, and then ask additional questions for that list.
• You can also use this capability to construct rosters where you ask a series of questions for each member of a list.
• You can randomize choices within questions, questions within blocks of questions, and blocks of questions within questionnaires.
• You can create and administer multilingual studies; interviewers can switch between languages at any point during the questionnaire.
• You can write macros to create your own custom instructions for use throughout a questionnaire.
• If you own WinCati’s sound option, you can incorporate commercial jingles or other sound bytes as part of the interview and record open-ended responses.

Sensus uses a set of simple instructions to create questionnaires. Typing a single command can implement advanced capabilities within your survey.

Sensus expedites questionnaire writing with its point-and-click menus, dialog boxes, context-sensitive on-line help, text position indicator, use of colors for different parts of the questionnaire script, and comprehensive manuals. Its question navigator speeds creation of long questionnaires.

You can create questionnaires using your own word processor or a Sensus built-in editor. You can construct questionnaires from scratch, or cut and paste questions from existing surveys, then edit them to form a new questionnaire.

• Sensus lets you insert or delete questions with little or no modification to your branching and skipping instructions.
• You can even modify your questionnaire once interviewing is in progress.
• You can specify defaults for many of the instructions that govern questionnaire presentation and logic. For example, you need only specify text placement, screen color, answer ranges, and key assignments ONCE. Of course, you can override these defaults at any time.
• WinCati comes with the 500-variable version of Sensus. For an additional fee, you can upgrade to a version that lets you create questionnaires with an unlimited number of variables.

Once you have created your questionnaire you can use the Sensus’ Auto Test feature to check it. Auto Test runs your questionnaire by entering responses for each question that is within the range of responses you set when constructing the questionnaire. It follows the branches and skips you specify. You can inspect Auto Test’s simulated data to identify problems with your questionnaire before interviewing begins. You can spot, for example, response ranges, skips, or randomizations that are incorrectly specified or branches that are never followed. You can also use the data for setting up cross tab and analysis specifications.

“WinCati combines the ease of use and the flexibility we need to efficiently set up and conduct even our most complex research products. Instead of requiring our clients to adjust to the needs of the software, WinCati allows us to meet the needs of our clients.”

Mark Price,
PEGUS Research